A guide to paella in Spain

Paella is essential comfort food and an emblem of Spanish cuisine. Its name deriving from the pan it’s cooked in – la paella – these steaming dishes come in an assortment of styles brimming with golden saffron rice, chunks of tender meats, vegetables and fresh seafood.

While settling on what constitutes a paella is a contentious debate, here’s our guide to a few of the many variations and offshoots of this hearty dish and the best spots to try them.

Paella Valenciana in Valencia

While the jury’s still out on the components of an authentic paella, Valencia is its undisputed home. After the Moors introduced rice to Spanish diets, its popularity increased over the years until the 18th century, whenere Valencians in the lagoon town of Albufera, began cooking rice with a combination of ingredients that included rabbit, chicken, butter beans, fresh tomatoes, saffron, garlic, rosemary, smoked paprika and, yes, snails.

These days ask anyone in Valencia and their way is the only real way. Cooking over an open fire has long been the traditional way to prepare paella and while the Valencian restaurants haven’t managed to keep this method as alive as they’d like, they’ve inventively sourced new ways to recreate and capture the paella’s classically intense, smokey look and flavour. At restaurant L’Establiment for instance, the chefs start their paella on the stove before finishing it off over a wood fire. Try the Valencian paella here, with its assortment of beans, rice and dark succulent rabbit, before you sleep it off in preparation for breakfast at MOM La Punta.

Paella Marinera in Pals

Arguably the second ‘official’ paella, the seafood variant originated on the Valencian coast, as locals didn’t have access to the same meats and beans of their inland neighbours. Still, it’s an equally delicious dish that includes fresh mussels, juicy king prawns, meaty squid, little clams and other types of ocean-dwellers. The key thing here is that the shells are kept on much of the seafood, so use them to scoop up helpings of rice.

Though its roots lie in Valencia, head up the coast and you’ll be treated to seafood paellas that its home city would approve of. Restaurant Solimar in Pals, Catalonia, whips up a gorgeously fresh version, courtesy of its proximity to the beach. Stay nearby at Hotel Es Portal, housed in a 16th-century farmhouse.

Paella Mixta in Barcelona

Valencians, and Spaniards, might wince when they see this option, but mixed paella is the paella that won the world over. A combination of both earth and sea, you’ll be flooded with options when it comes to this paella variation. Rabbit, chicken, seafood, beans, artichokes – you name it, this paella has got it.

That said, there’s not a complete overhaul of tradition, as this paella is best eaten and enjoyed like any other; gathering a group of friends together, placing the dish at the centre of the table and spooning out large helpings of chicken, prawns and rice. Try 7 Portes restaurant in Barcelona for its mixed take on paella, also just a short walk from the stylish Inside Barcelona Apartments Esparteria.

Paella Vegetariana in Barcelona

Vegetarian food isn’t the easiest to come by in Spain, so Paella Vegetariana is a gift. While not necessarily traditional and more catering to the tourist demographic, you can still expect to find the classic sofrito as the base (onions, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, thyme and bay leaves) and the quintessential chunky bomba rice. From there, it’s a vegetable medley of lima beans, artichokes, green and red peppers.

As it’s a paella type less easy to come by, bigger cities that accommodate a variety of tastes are a safe bet. Barcelona’s Vegetalia is one restaurant with a vegan paella on offer, and it’s also near Colón Hotel Barcelona, with views of the Barcelona Cathedral.

Arròs Negre in Valencia

A bonus inclusion and not always considered to be paella, arròs negre or black paella, still deserves a mention for its distinctive look and flavour. Another dish popular with Valencians and Catalans, it’s similar to seafood paella – except for its pitch black colouring. Made with many of the same ingredients, the cuttlefish or squid ink is what gives the rice its statement black coating. Don’t be deterred though, it’s a sharp, salty and satisfying meal.

Quaint, side- street eatery Bar El Almudin in Valencia is a intimate setting to try this inky number, while Caro Hotel, housed in a former palace, is a short walk away.